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Gautam Chikermane

Gautam Chikermane

For an irrationally exuberant market yearning to look up, the politically-untenable legislative reforms proposals that climaxed after 40 months and changing partners may be good enough to deliver a 1,000-point Sensex return. Gautam Chikarmane writes.

By clearing mismanagement charges against National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) on February 2, capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has opened a Pandora’s Box involving conflict of interest in public life, reports Gautam Chikermane.

A whole host of public-private-partnerships (PPP), no privatisation, new business models and no hike in freight rates or passenger fares. Was that Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee presenting her second budget in the second innings of the UPA government or was it the spirit of her predecessor Lalu Prasad speaking?, writes Gautam Chikermane.

If the end result is an economic symphony that increases the tempo towards a double-digit growth finale and sounds melodious to all constituencies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s Budget 2010 is a brave statement, writes Gautam Chikermane.

M F Hussain’s bare feet walk to Qatar epitomises the increasing distance between two conflicting pulls on an individual — the idea of a nation state and the accompanying sense of belonging, writes Gautam Chikermane. Read more..
The ant tribe | Long live the women's bill!

Amid riotous scenes, India’s upper house passed a controversial legislation to reserve a third of seats in federal and state legislatures for women, writes Zia Haq. Read More....DABS & JABS | Middle Order | Cutting The Edge

Barely hours after Unilever President (Global Foods, Home and Personal Care) and member of the Unilever Executive Manvinder Singh Banga (Vindi Banga to friends) put in his papers, he was upbeat, enthusiastic and looking forward to his next move. But even after 33 years at a Euro 40 billion (Rs 250,000 crore) company, Banga is not hanging his executive boots yet. Excerpts from an interview:

Let’s not laugh at Mayawati’s money garland or Ramdev’s political steps — they are far more serious than many of our other illustrious leaders’ exploits, writes Gautam Chikermane. Read more
Beijing Bazaar | A light-hearted banter; I could only grin and bear | Tuktuk’s little question…

Land has become the final frontier of everything that’s wrong with India’s politics and business. It’s time to reform that — and my view is that it is in the politicians’ interest as well, writes Gautam Chikermane.